The Portrait
by slagheapwhore
Summary: Katniss Everdeen moves into an old victorian home after tragedy strikes close to home. Strange occurrences begin to happen when she discovers the portrait of a man who once lived there. Katniss chooses to ignore these events, but when a former occupant comes to visit... things take a turn for the worse. AU Setting
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own THG. I'm just borrowing the characters.

AN: I want to dedicate this fic to my sister, aquarpisc for helping me bring this fic into fruition, for brainstorming with me and for acting like an idiot with me with dumb we sounded while coming up with the outline. I would also like to thank everyone who pre-read this for me, especially madefrommemories for being the world's biggest cheerleader. Special shout out to SalanderJade for getting me out of my funk. And last but not least, the amazing husband/wife duo, yourpeetaisshowing and alonglineofbread for all your amazing beta work and everything else you helped me with which was a lot. Also, alonglineofbread made the banner. She kicks ass. Thank you guys. Now without further ado...

**CHAPTER 1**

When I first see the house, I'm surprised at how much bigger it looks in person than it did online. A heavy feeling settles in my chest as I realize maybe this house is far bigger than a twenty-five year old living alone could handle. _Too late now_, I think. Fortunately, I won't be alone. A greasy haired middle aged man by the name of Haymitch Abernathy will be living on the grounds with me in a guest house not far from the main house. He's been the caretaker of the place for about 30 years now. Rude ass son of a bitch, but I think it's because he's a lot like me. We even look the same. Same dark hair, same gray eyes. It's unnerving to say the least.

The moment I step into the house, a heaviness fills my chest, which is overcome with another feeling before I can even question it. A welcoming feeling comes over me. I don't know how to explain it but I feel like I'm home. When I arrive it's only me with a suitcase. The house comes furnished so I don't need to worry about arriving with the rest of my possessions. They'll come later.

The first time I feel a presence is a week or so after arriving. I finally finish taking the drapes off all the furniture downstairs and start rifling through the upstairs bedrooms. I come across the door to the attic and feel an instant pull towards it. At the same time, there's also a hesitance. As if someone is telling me to stop. The door seems to narrow as I walk closer to it. My hand is on the knob when the doorbell rings, breaking the trance I was in.

It's the moving truck with my possessions. I don't know why it took so long, but finally it's here. Since the house came furnished, most of my belongings will be stored in the property's old barn.

I'm actually very thankful for this. The arrival of my things makes me have even more tasks to occupy my mind and keep it off of the reason why I moved here. My parents and little sister were killed in a head on collision 5 months ago. Living without them had become unbearable so I decided to use the insurance money to get away, hence where I am today. Haymitch actually helps me get all my things unloaded, grumbling along the way, but we are able to get it done by nightfall. I'll worry about bringing what I need in the house later. That leaves me to go back to my original task in the house.

As I start the work upstairs, I feel that pull again. The pull I felt towards the attic door. This time when I reach the lock, nothing interrupts me. I turn the handle, only to find the door locked, so I go down to the office and retrieve the keys Haymitch gave me the first day I came here. None of them work and upon inspection, I realize the keyhole is rather old.

I immediately find Haymitch and ask him if he knows where I might find the key to the attic. He seems hesitant when I ask.

"What do you need to go up there for Sweetheart? There's nothing up there but more furniture and belongings of the old owners."

His answer angers me for unknown reasons, so I remind him that I am the new owner and whatever is up there belongs to me. He grumbles something under his breath, but eventually concedes in handing me an old skeleton key and a flashlight. "You'll need it."

The key does its job and the door to the attic opens up to a narrow staircase. Finding no light switch, I use the flash light I got from Haymitch and slowly climb up the stairs, the air getting thicker each step I take. The heavy feeling I got when I first arrived at the house comes back full force once I reach the landing. I notice a pull string coming down from the ceiling and as I pull, a yellow glow fills the grand attic. The pull from earlier overcomes me once again and leads me past old boxes and drape-covered furniture to what looks like a covered portrait. My hand pulls the drape down on its own accord to reveal the portrait of man. His attire in the portrait is from at least 100 years ago, but that's not what pulls me to him. Aside from the soft blonde waves covering his head and a chiseled angular jawline… were his eyes, bright blue, piercing, beckoning… calling to me.

I am captivated. He is brilliant. My hand finds its way to the canvas, delicately tracing his jawline, his cheek, his lips. It is exquisite. He is exquisite. Everything about him. I feel like I know him. The blue from his eyes, bluer than the calm from the ocean before a storm follow my every move.

Haymitch says I'm crazy when I hang his portrait in the parlour. I ask if he knows who he was.

"The last of the Mellark family left 20 years ago," he says. The Mellarks were from old money, but the last living Mellark made his fortune in an unusual manner, baking. He had married a bitter woman, who wasn't used to the countryside and hated living there. After threatening to take their three sons away from him, he finally agreed and moved them to the city. Not wanting to get rid of his family's legacy, he kept his caretaker on to watch over the estate. That is until his death when it was passed down to his eldest son who, like his mother, didn't care for the place and put it on the market where it had stayed for almost 3 years.

"That is until you finally bought it. Luckily for you, I agreed to stay on as caretaker." I roll my eyes at this.

"That tells me nothing about him," I say, pointing to the portrait. Haymitch looks away, almost like he's trying to hide something.

"Well hell Sweetheart! I wasn't alive 100 years ago. How the hell am I supposed to know? I told you what I know and that's that," he exclaims, storming off. I don't stop to question how he knows the portrait is a hundred years old. I don't remember seeing a date on the canvas.

The next couple of days are uneventful. I finish the rooms upstairs, which is exhausting. Cleaning and dusting was never my forte. That was my mother and Prim's job. I shake my head to clear my thoughts. I don't want to think about that right now. The exhaustion from all the work I've been doing is taking its toll, so I decide to call it a night. Once I'm up in my room I shower then head to bed.

_Our limbs are tangled together, his body pressing tightly against mine. He peppers kissing along my torso, moving with a desperation I've never felt before. _

_I can't take it anymore so I untangle our legs, wrapping them around his waist and pulling him flush against me. He buries his face into the side of my neck, licking the sensitive skin. I moan loudly when his cock brushes against my hot, dripping center. _

_Suddenly, he's there, buried deep inside me. He throws his head back and that's when I see his face. It's him. The man from the portrait._

_He grunts as he begins to move inside me. My hips rise to meet him, but it's not enough for me. He notices this when his gaze meets mine, his blue eyes so much more clearer than in the portrait. His hand moves between us to where we are joined, rubbing the little bundle of nerves he knows will set me off. My back arches and I cry out as I come apart._

My eyes fly open and my heart is beating so fast I can barely breath. I sit up in bed trying to catch my breath. The movement causes me to notice the wetness between my legs. I reach beneath the covers and feel myself, soaking wet.

Christ. What am I? Sixteen again. I haven't had a dream like that in…. shit I can't even remember. I need to get laid, I think as I get out of bed to take yet another shower.

Once I've finished my shower, my thoughts automatically come to the portrait. The portrait of the unknown Mellark in my parlor. My cheeks burn as I remember my dream.

_This is stupid Katniss, _I tell myself. Still, it makes me wonder who this man was. Ever since I found the portrait of him, I can't seem to get him off my mind. Haymitch is no help with the details. I know he knows something, but he's choosing to hide it from me. I wonder what that is and why he feels the need to hide it from me.

Instead of trying to coax it out of him, I find myself at the county hall of records a few hours later. I learn that the land was first acquired by a man named Peter Mellark in 1905. So my guess was right. The portrait of the man was at least a hundred years old.

I smile. Peter. A name to the face I've become enchanted with. But that is all there is really. The census shows he had a wife, two sons and one daughter. The only other thing I am able to dig up was that he had passed on the property, relatively young. He was only 52. Something is off though. The file I am looking at looks like there had been something else in it. Nothing was amiss really. I just have a rather strange feeling about it.

Arriving home, I find myself staring at the portrait again in the parlour. _Peter, Peter, _I chant in my head as I stare at it. The name fits him perfectly. My face heats up as I remember the dream from this morning. I've had erotic dreams before, but never like that and certainly never one that made me so wet.

A shiver runs through me as I feel a tickling sensation traveling up my arms. Almost as if someone is rubbing up and down the length of them. My eyes close on their own accord and my head falls back. A contented sigh leaves my lips as my hands come to rest on the table in front of me.

A door slamming brings me out of my reverie. The tingling sensation is gone and I push myself away from the table. I glance once more to Peter's portrait before leaving the room in search of the source of the noise.

As I walk into the foyer, I can hear voices coming from the kitchen. They're hushed, almost like a murmur or a whisper that sends a chill up my spine. It has to be Haymitch, but who could be with him? As I get closer, the voices get louder, yet I still can't make out what is being said.

As soon as I step into the kitchen the voices stop. _What the hell?_ I think. I look around the kitchen and there's no one there. I walk around the island to the swinging door on the other side that leads to the dining room and slowly open it. Still, no one.

"Hello?" I call out. "Is someone here?" The sun is setting, causing eerie shadows to cast along the walls of the dining room.

Slowly, I step back into the kitchen. Confusion is written all over my face as I head back the way I came. As I turn, I gasp loudly as I run into something or rather someone.

"Jesus, Haymitch! You scared the shit out of me," I all but scream.

Haymitch chuckles, "Easy there, Sweetheart. What's got your panties in a bunch?"

I pinch the bridge of my nose feeling a headache coming on. "Please don't use panties and me in the same sentence ever again," I say with annoyance lacing my voice. "Who were you talking to just now?"

Haymitch's expression turns to puzzlement. "What are you on about? I just walked in to let you know I was done for the day." Confusion crosses my face once again.

"No," I say shaking my head. "I heard the door slam when you first walked in and I heard voices coming from in here. You and your guest are the only other people on this property. Who else could it be?" I asked exasperated.

"What guest are you talking about? No one else is he- unless-." The color seems to drain from his face. A feeling of dread fills me as he steps back, surveying the room carefully.

"What? What's wrong?" I ask, beginning to panic from the look on his face.

He turns away. I can see his hands start to shake as he brings them up rub his face. Then I hear it.

Laughter.

Motherfucker.

"Are you- are you telling me you're hearing ghosts?" He turns back to me, doubling over in laughter. I cross my arms and my mouth moves into a thin line. My actions seem to amuse him as he continues, "Do you think they're wearing white sheets with holes cut out for their eyes?"

"Fuck you Haymitch!" I say walking out of the kitchen, away from another howl of laughter.

The next couple of days I try to avoid Haymitch, but everywhere I turn he seems to be there; a knowing laughter in his eyes. I keep myself locked in my office to avoid any further run ins. The cable company comes and goes, leaving behind the internet connection I need to stay in touch with my old life. Whatever is left of it anyway. I've been trying to avoid it since I made the move.

I have quite a few emails to go through. Some from the lawyer, probably having to do with more legal shit. He wants me to invest some of the money from the life insurance policies. I don't want to deal with it right now. I just want some time to reflect or forget really. Some from the only close friend I left behind. I don't want to deal with that either. The rest are Facebook notifications that I just delete without looking at. Probably more condolences anyway. I hate those.

Before I know it it's been two hours, the sun is still bright in the sky. My head starts to ache again from the brightness. I've been getting a lot of these headaches lately. I close my eyes and lean back in my chair, trying to ease some of the tension.

"_Katniss."_

I jump in my chair and swivel around, searching the room for where the voice came from. My heart races when I see that there's no one there, but I can feel eyes on me. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. The sun in setting quickly and soon the room is filled with only the light coming from the moon. The temperature has dropped dramatically as well and when I breath, I can see my breathe coming out in small puffs. My hands shake from the coldness and I bring them up to rub my arms. I'm freezing.

"_Katniss," _I hear again in a harsh whisper and suddenly, it's all around me. It's coming from all directions now. What the hell is going on?

Everywhere I turn, I hear my name.

Katniss….Katniss….Katniss….

"Katniss!" I joult awake. Haymitch is standing over me. "Jesus, girl. Do you know how hard it is to wake you up?" he growls out, obviously annoyed.

I was dreaming. My hands come up to cover my eyes. It's still light out and I try to rub the sleep out of my eyes. "Sorry. I must've fallen asleep."

"No shit."

I glare at him, "Was there something you needed?"

"Phone call," he says and walks out of the room.

I huff, irritated he didn't tell me as soon as he woke me. I walk out to the hallway where the closest landline is, wondering who could be calling me. No one knows this number. It's not even in my name. The old owner kept it for Haymitch to get a hold of him if he needed to. They never disconnected it for some reason.

"Hello," I say, bringing the phone to my ear. There's cackling on the other end of the line and then nothing. "Hello?" I try again. The cackling continues, but no words are audible. It's a bad connection so I hang up and wait to see if whoever called calls back. After a few minutes I give up and walk away.

I walk out of the house in search of Haymitch to ask him who was on the phone. The sun is setting and I see no sign of him as I round the porch. I can't find him and I really don't feel like looking everywhere, so I head back inside.

My impromptu nap exhausted me, so I decide to have a light dinner and call it a night. After dinner I take a bath to calm my nerves from the dream earlier. It had felt so real. Now that I can think straight without the haze of sleep clouding my mind, I can't help but wonder why the dream felt so real. I don't even remember falling asleep. I've never in my life had dreams like that before. The stress of everything that has happened to me this year is getting to me. It's the only explanation.

Climbing out of the bath, I dry myself off. Once I dress I give myself a once over in the mirror. There's really not much to me. My skin is clear at least, probably from not ever wearing make-up. I'm not ugly but I am nowhere near beautiful. I'm a plain Jane and I'm alright with that. Turning the light off, I leave the bathroom, shut the door and climb into bed.

I couldn't have been asleep for more than a couple of hours when I'm awoken. I'm not sure what woke me up, but when I open my eyes I am understandably confused. The light to my connected bathroom is on and the door is open. I could've sworn I turned the light off and closed the door when I was finished with my shower.

I move to sit up and realization hits me quickly. I can't move. My arms, legs, my whole body will not move an inch no matter how hard I try. I panic and it's getting hard to breath. The only body part that seems to be functioning are my eyes. They dart back and forth, moving very quickly in my panic. _What the hell? _My head is resting on my right hand from the position I fell asleep in and it starts to shake from how hard I'm trying to move it. Out of nowhere, I feel a presence to my left.

Suddenly, I stop trying to move. My body relaxes completely. I have gone from completely panicking, to completely comfortable. I feel a hand against my cheek, caressing my face gently. My eyes drift closed as I feel the presence from before move closer. A strand of my hair is tucked back behind my ear. My body feels more relaxed than it's ever been in my life.

All of a sudden, I feel a pressure against my lips. Like a soft kiss coming from a new lover. It feels wonderful and I exhale out of my nose. The phantom lips keep their place against mine as the ghost of the hand continues to stroke my cheek. The hand starts to slide down my neck and moves down to my collarbone and is about to move lower when a loud female voice cries.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!"

I'm suddenly sitting up in bed, breathing hard. My hands automatically cup my cheek and stroke my lips where I felt this… being. I turn to look to my left where I first felt the presence. It's gone.

The rest of the night is uneventful. Despite having woken so suddenly, I was surprisingly able to fall into a restful sleep without incident. Between my struggle to cope with the accident and the dreams I've been having, my nights had been restless.

It was a dream. It had to be a dream. There is no other explanation. But the light of the bathroom is still on and the door wide open. Just as it was in my dream. The question of if it was a dream or not is still haunting me. It felt so real. The kiss felt like a real kiss.

For some reason this notion doesn't frighten me. It freaks me out a little bit, but the event itself didn't scare me. It was… nice.

* * *

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	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own THG. I'm just borrowing the characters.

AN: I have been blown away by the response his story has gotten so far. I would just like to thank everyone who has commented, followed or favorited this story. Your continued support is greatly appreciated. I'd also like to apologize in advance if I don't keep up with the planned updates. I'm trying really hard to keep up with it. Thanks.

**CHAPTER 2**

It's been a week since my hallucination (as I'm calling it now) and I do my best to distract myself. Distracting myself only seems to work when I have something to do, which I don't. Luckily, I get a notice in my mailbox letting me know I have a package waiting for more me at the post office in town.

There's not much to the town really. The sheriff's office, the post office, a burger joint and a few mom and pop stores line main street. The town hall, a few other businesses and a library are on a side street and other than that, that's pretty much the town. There are a few streets of houses connecting to the town, but most of the population live on the out skirts like me.

I've just reached the door of the post office when I see him. My hand stops short as I catch sight of a man in my peripheral vision. A man with blond hair, chiseled chin… and bright blue eyes. I'm frozen as he turns the corner. Before I realize what I'm doing, my feet are already running in the direction that he went. I don't know exactly what I plan on doing when I reach him, all I know is that I need to see this man.

I turn the corner and there's no one there. I look up and down the street and I see no one. I shake my head and am about to go back to the post office when I realize where I'm standing. Right in front of the town's hall. It's also where the hall of records is located. _Christ, Katniss!_ _You are not seeing who you think it is, _I chastise myself. It almost seems weird that I see this doppelganger of the man in the portrait just outside the building where I learned his name. I berate myself once again before heading back to the post office to retrieve my package.

I need to do more work in the office when I get back from town. I decided early on that I was going to use some of the insurance money to start my own business. Making custom bows. My dad taught me how to make them and I wanted to do something that would make him proud of me. Making the bows is easy, starting a business is a whole different story.

I'm not in the office more than an hour when I start to get frustrated. Maybe this is something I need to have the lawyer help me out with. I mentioned it to him once and he seemed keen on helping me. I'll give him a call next week. I need to relax a little so I decide to get up to the small library located on the second floor next to my bedroom. Why they decided to put the library up there is beyond me. Maybe I can find a good book to help me relax.

Once I'm up there, I can tell I didn't do a very good job of cleaning it out. Every book I pull from the shelves has a thick layer of dust. The first one I tried blowing the dust off of had me almost hacking up my breakfast. I realize I'm going to have to clean all these books one by one. Damn. I thought I was done cleaning the house. I may have to hire a maid to help me. Cleaning is not my forte.

I'm about to head out to the hall closet I keep the cleaning supplies in when I hear it. Voices. Just like before. I stop to listen. I wait a few minutes. Nothing. _I'm going crazy_, I think to myself. But as soon as I walk out of the room I hear it again.

I know I heard it this time. The hushed whispers grow louder. I try to follow the source, but they just keep leaving. Traveling through the rooms at a rapid pace, one that I cannot keep up with. Then silence.

Wait. There it is again. On the staircase. I'm running now and by the time I get to the bottom of the stairs it is no longer traveling. The voices are no longer whispers. The noise is so loud I can't decipher what is going on, what is being said. My hands come up to cover my ears, but it's no use. The sounds are in my head. Then, I hear one sentence clear as day.

"_There's someone at the door."_

The doorbell rings. Silence. The voices are gone. My eyes are wide as I move towards the door to answer it, afraid of what I will find on the other side. I open the door.

Standing on the porch is a young man, facing away from me. My eyes dart around in surprise, looking to see if anyone else is with him. He's alone. He's of medium height, not too much taller than myself. From what I can tell his hair is blonde, but the sun is setting so all I can see is more of a shadow within the sun's rays.

He seems to be enchanted by the coming sunset and he has yet to turn around. I clear my throat before speaking.

"Um… Can I help you?"

He seems startled by my voice and turns abruptly. My breath catches in my throat. This man looks exactly like the man in the portrait. He smiles and his mouth opens to say something.

"Peter?" I whisper, not believing my eyes.

He frowns as the name falls from my lips. "I'm sorry. Do we know each other?" His forehead crinkles in question and I realize this is not Peter. His eyes are a darker shade of blue than the man I've come to know as Peter. Though the facial structure is mostly the same, this man in front of me has a dimple in his chin and his blonde hair is a darker shade with hardly any waves.

My God, he's gorgeous. He waves a hand in front of my face and I realize I must've been staring. I feel the heat rise to my cheeks at being caught. I clear my throat again.

"Uh… I thought you were someone else. Um... can I help you?" I manage to squeak out.

He smiles and a stirring starts low in my belly. "Sorry to bother you so late," he says, raising a hand to rub the back of his neck. "My name is Peeta. Peeta Mellark."

I stare at him blankly. _Peeta?_ Mellark. Of course he's a Mellark. But what is he doing here.

"You're a Mellark?" I ask dumbly. He nods, giving me another one of his smiles. He smiles a lot. I think of the portrait of Peter and I assume he didn't smile all that much. God, I'm comparing him to a portrait of a man I don't even know. What the hell is wrong with me?

"Yeah," he answers. "I tried calling yesterday, but I think our connection was bad. Sorry for showing up so late. Can I come in?"

I'm still looking at him with confusion on my face. He looks so much like him. I come out of my thoughts when I hear a chuckle come from him. "Yes," I say a little too loudly. My face heats up once again. I step inside and open the door wide inviting him in. I walk through the door, but he stops short. "Are you okay?" I ask when he brings his hand to his mouth, rubbing his chin.

He turns to me, but his eyes are darting around the foyer. "Yeah, sorry. I just got a weird… feeling." His eyes finally land on mine. His eyes are so strikingly blue I can't seem to focus on anything else.

I shake my head again, trying to clear it. "Um, I'm Katniss…Everdeen," I say motioning to myself.

"Katniss, yeah I already know your name."

"How?"

He blushes a little, but doesn't hesitate to answer. "I asked my brother actually. He was the one that sold you the house and had all your info. I hope you don't mind." I shrug my shoulders in indifference. We stand there in awkward silence for a few moments until I finally find my voice.

"I'm sorry if I'm acting a little strange but, um..." I can't shake the fact that this person, Peeta, standing in my house looks so much like the portrait hanging in my parlour. "Can I show you something?"

Peeta's head shift to the side in question, "Sure."

He follows me as I lead him to the parlour down the hall. When we enter, he doesn't see it right away. He's about to sit down on the couch in the middle of the room when he notices it and halts. His eyes grow wide.

"This is why I was acting so strange. I thought I was losing my mind," I chuckle a little as I he walks towards the image.

"Wow." He mumbles. "I look just like him. No wonder you look liked you saw a ghost when you saw me."

"His name is Peter," I say without thinking. "I'm guessing he's like your great great great great grandfather or something."

He smiles again and I notice the way his eyes light up. _Stop it Katniss, _I fight to keep the blush from rising to my cheeks again. _You're acting like you've never been in the presence of a good looking man before._

"Actually it's only three greats, not four. I was down at the County Hall of Records before I came here. Is it ok if we talk for a bit?"

I sigh deeply, relieved that it must have been him I saw in town and also that I'm not going crazy. At least about that anyway. I nod motioning to the couch he was going to sit in earlier. We take a seat and he continues to speak.

"I'm actually doing a bit of research on my family history. When my father passed away I realized I really didn't know anything about my dad's side of the family. My father brought me up here a couple of times when I was younger and I loved it. My mother didn't like it here for some reason and never wanted us to come. Just how Mom was, so these outings were usually kept a secret." I nod, not really getting at what's he's telling me. He continues, "Anyway, I was hoping maybe I could investigate a little. I'm a writer you see, and I wanted to get some of my family's history down. See if there's anything interesting I could tell my kids when the time comes."

I deflate a little at that. I don't know why. I look down at his hands. No wedding ring. "You have kids?" I ask.

He laughs, "NO! Um, sorry. I didn't mean to give you that impression. I'm not even married. I meant **when** I have kids. I'd like to give them a sense of where they come from. I never knew so it would be a great project for me." I start to question my sanity when I sigh in relief at his answer. "I was wondering if you'd let me poke around a bit. The county records didn't really have much information to go on. I remember going up to the attic when I was a boy and there was all kinds of stuff up there. Creepy as hell, but I'm sure I can handle it now. Not afraid of the dark anymore. That is if it's okay with you? If you haven't gotten rid of everything that is?" he asks. His voice full of hope.

"I haven't touched anything in the attic, aside from this portrait actually. You're welcome to anything up there. It really belongs to you after all," I say, a little too excitedly. "It'd be nice to have someone else in this house for a while aside from Haymitch."

Peeta's head whips up. "Haymitch is still around?"

I nod, rolling my eyes. "Yeah. A real people person that one."

Peeta chuckles. "Same old Haymitch. So, you'll allow it? Me being here for a while?" I nod with a smile of my own. "Great! Um, I'll just get a room down in town. I'm sure there's a motel or maybe even a bed and breakfast around here right?"

I pause. "You mean you don't have a place to stay yet?"

"No, I uh…sort came here on a whim. Wasn't sure if I'd be staying or not."

The words are out of my mouth before I can help them. "Why not just stay here?" I cringe at how overzealous I sound. Peeta's eyes grow wide. "I mean, it makes no sense for you to get a motel room really. There are more than enough rooms here that aren't being used."

"Are you sure? I don't want to impose. It wouldn't be any trouble to find other lodgings."

I wave him off. "Of course not. It'll save you a trip anyway."

"Thank you Katniss. That's very generous of you," he says with excitement. If I'm being honest I feel that excitement too. God I'm pathetic.

I smile warmly at him. "Great. It's settled then. I'll get a room ready for you."

I leave in a hurry, not wanting him to see how giddy I am. I don't know what the fuck is wrong with me. I ignore the fact that it has something to do with how much he looks like the portrait that I've becomes(become) somewhat obsessed with. Or the fact that I haven't been around a man in over a month since I've been here. Haymitch doesn't count.

As I walk up the stairs, I wonder which room I should place Peeta in. There are three bedrooms upstairs. Mine is the furthest on the right. They're all connected. I'm guessing it wouldn't be appropriate to put Peeta in the room right next to mine. Plus the other bathroom is right next to the farthest bedroom on the left. It would make more sense to put him near that one so he wouldn't have to share mine. It doesn't have a balcony but that's ok. I go to the linen closet , grabbing clean sheets and start changing them. All of a sudden, everything goes black. Dammit. I don't realize how late it is until the lights go out and I'm left in darkness.

"Shit," I mumble reaching for my phone in my pocket. I hear movement downstairs. I assume it's Peeta. Turning on the flashlight app on phone, I head out to the hallway closet hoping to find a flashlight. All I find are lanterns. I feel like I'm back in the 19 century using these things. I never unpacked my stuff in the barn where I know I have a box full of flashlights and batteries for this sort of thing.

I've just managed to light the lantern when I turn and run straight into Peeta. "Aaaghghh!," I scream. "You scared the shit out me."

"I'm sorry. I heard you call out to me so I came as fast as I could," he says holding onto my arms. I look at him strangely.

"I didn't call out to you," I say puzzled, pulling away from him. Being so close to him is making dizzy. A strange sensation is coming over me and I'm not sure if it's our close proximity or something else. Peeta's expression is questioning.

"I swear I heard you call my name."

I glance around the hallway, but all I see are shadows being cast from the little light coming from the lantern. "This house makes a lot of weird noises," I say thinking of the voices I've heard.

"Yeah. So I've noticed," Peeta mumbles. I wonder what he's means by that. I don't question him though, so I start heading towards the stairs.

"I think the fuse box is in the basement. Mind giving me a hand?" I ask.

"Sure," he says following me down the stairs. We've barely reached the landing when the lights flicker back on.

"Sorry sweetheart," I hear from the entry of the basement door. "I was trying to switch the fuses when one burned out on me. Don't worry. I fixed it." Haymitch walks through the door, but stops in his tracks when he sees me standing there with Peeta. He expression is almost comical, until I remember I probably had that same expression when I first saw Peeta.

I clear my throat. "Haymitch, this is Peeta Mellark. His family owned the place."

"Little Peeta. I remember you boy. How the hell are you?" He says coming over to shake Peeta's hand. My eyes are wide. He's never been that nice to me.

Peeta takes his hand and gives it a firm shake. "Hey Haymitch. Wasn't sure if you'd remember me or not."

"Course I do. How could I forget the little shit who used to run around making a mess for me to clean up." There's the Haymitch I've grown to know. I bite my lip to hide my smile as Peeta's face flushes, seemingly embarrassed by Haymitch's recollection of him. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Peeta is going to be staying here for a while," I say before Peeta can answer. Both men raise their eyebrows. "He's doing some research on his family and wants to explore the attic."

Haymitch stiffens at the news. "Is that right? Well, I'm sure there's not much you'll find out up there. Better to do some research at the county records office."

His behavior is making me wonder even more what he's hiding. "I already tried there,"Peeta answers. "Unfortunately I didn't come out with much. I'm sure I won't be here for more than a few weeks. I mean, there's not much I can find right? Dad never mentioned much."

Haymitch looks away, a grim look on his face. "Well. I'll be off now. You two kids play nice, now," he says before walking away and out of the house.

Peeta looks to me with a funny expression. "That was strange. I don't remember him being so weird."

I shrug my shoulders. "Let me show you to your room."

The next day Peeta starts his research. The only 2 places that will be helpful to him are the library and the attic. He decides to start with the library since it's smaller and I have some my own business to take care of in the office. My day is filled with returning a phone call to my lawyer, which isn't in the least bit fun. But I did get some sort of head way in starting the business. He said he would email me the specific within the week.

The third day after Peeta's arrival I decide to ask if he needs any help. I find him in the library.

I knock on the door, making him aware of my presence. He looks up and I see he's wearing glasses. Fuck me, he looks sexy in glasses. He pulls them off as I enter the room.

"Hey," he says sounding tired.

"Hey. Find anything interesting yet?" I ask, not meeting his gaze. I hear him sigh deeply and I look up to see him rubbing his eyes. "That bad huh?"

He shakes his head. "There's not much here really. All there are in here are old books and stuff about the money and taking care of the property. It doesn't even say what kind of business the family did," he says exasperated.

I try to give him a reassuring smile, but fail miserably. "How about some lunch?" I ask instead.

"Food sounds great," he says giving me the smile that's made my knees weak since he's gotten here.

"Don't sound too excited. It's only sandwiches."

Once I've gotten the sandwiches made, which Peeta insists on helping with, we grab a couple of drinks and head to the dining room to eat.

I've been keeping my distance from him since he's arrived. For some reason, I lose the ability to think straight with him around. I've never felt this way around anyone before. Especially someone I've just met and it scares me. I'm attracted to him I know that for sure. But the reason behind that attraction is questionable.

Peeta breaks through my thoughts when he speaks. "So, Katniss. How does a girl like you, end up living in a place out here in the middle of nowhere?"

I smile slightly. I find it hard to answer without bringing up the obvious reasons. There's no way around it so I decide to go with the truth. " My uh… parent's and my little sister passed away a little over six months ago," I start. I keep my gaze away from his face, knowing the look that is sure to be on his face. "I just needed to get away from everything. Kind of start over. The insurance money was actually how I was able to buy this place."

I chance a look at him and I'm a little shocked at what I see. Instead of the pitying look I expect, I see a look of understanding on his face. Then it hits me. He's lost a father too. Of course he'd understand in a way.

"My dad used to bring me to a place like this when I was just. The woods I mean. He used to take me hunting."

"You hunt?" he asks, surprise apparent on his face.

I smile shyly. "Uh, yeah. Been hunting since I was a little girl. My father gave me my first bow when I was ten."

"Wow. That's hot."

The laugh that escapes me echoes around the small room. Peeta's ears go red, obviously not meaning to say it out loud. I'm still laughing when I question ask what kind of writing he does.

"Well, I don't actually have a steady job per say. Most of my work is freelance which gives me the freedom to do other things. I actually help out a lot in my family's bakery most of the time."

"You bake?" I ask interested. "Haymitch told me your father was a baker. Any chance I'll see any of that skill while you're here?"

"As a matter of fact, I planned on baking you my famous cheese buns in the morning," he says wagging his eyebrows, which makes me laugh.

We continue to chat while we eat our lunch. I learn that we're the same age. Both 25. Peeta graduated college with a BA in journalism. I'm a little intimidated my his knowledge, I myself opted to skip college and started working to help keep the family afloat. I find it very easy to talk to Peeta. The only other people I was able to be like this around were Prim and Gale. It's refreshing yet terrifying how easy it is.

"So you plan on starting your own business making bows?" Peeta asks, even more surprised than before.

I nod my head finishing my sandwich. "If you want, I can take you hunting with me before you go."

"I'd love to," Peeta says with a wide smile.

"I actually haven't been since they died," I say quietly. "I think it's about time I get out again. Plus, I'm dying to see what these woods have to offer."

"I don't think there's much out there other than a bunch of squirrels," Peeta says.

"Aw! But squirrels are my specialty," I say with a laugh. Peeta laughs along with me.

He glances to the grandfather clock against the wall. I follow his eyes and I'm surprised that we've been sitting here for over an hour already. He finishes his drink and stands. "I better head back up. There's still so much to go through."

"Do you need some help?" I ask quickly, not ready to separate from his presence just yet.

Peeta smiles and nods his head. "That would be great, thanks. I think I need all the help I can get."

Cleaning up our mess from lunch, we head upstairs.

"The library has been a bust so far. I thought we could head up to the attic," Peeta says. I nod in agreement. Opening the door to the attic, I feel the heaviness I felt before. We walk up into total darkness. I forgot to bring a flashlight but I remember where the drawstring is so I continue without it. "This place is creepy," Peeta says as we climb the stairs.

We reach the top and I pull the string that floods the room with yellowing light from the old bulb.

"OW!" I turn to see Peeta holding his shin. "I'm alright. I just ran into this…." I look down, but don't see anything. My eyebrows raise in question when our eyes meet. "I swear there was a box there," he mumbles.

"Watch your step," I say playfully. Looking around, I see tons of boxes I didn't notice the first time I was up here. "Where should we start?"

Peeta comes to stand beside me and takes a look around for himself. "Well, this one bulb isn't giving off too much light. I think I'm going to need a flashlight. Ugh. This place still gives me the creeps."

I turn to look at him and I can tell he is wary of the place. He scans the entire attic. His eyes land on mine as I give him a reassuring smile. "I'm here, Peeta. I won't let anything happen to you."

He smiles, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm gonna go get that extra lamp down in the hallway. Is that okay?"

I nod as he turns to get down the rickety stairs to the second floor. A cold chill runs up my spine as I see him reach the stairs. "Peeta, wait-"

He turns at the sound of my voice and as he does, I see a black mass rush past me heading straight towards him. My eyes grow wide as it rushes him, causing him to stumble. Before I realize what I'm doing, I've already reached him. I grab onto his shirt just as he starts to fall backward and pull him towards me. He lands on top of me as we fall to the floor of the attic.

His breathing is heavy and my eyes are shut tight. "Oh my god!" I exhale.

Peeta quickly scrabbles to his feet, pulling me with him. "Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

"No. No. Are you?" I ask as we check each other over.

"Yes. I'm fine," he says breathlessly. "Thanks to you. If I wasn't so clumsy I wouldn't have missed the step."

"Wait! You didn't see that?" I ask surprised. I look around the attic again, but I see no sign of what had rushed past me. Were my eyes playing tricks on me?

"See what?" Peeta says following my gaze.

"Nothing," I say, shaking my head. I had to have imagined it. I don't believe in what I think I just saw. "Why don't we just head down together?" He nods in affirmation and starts down the stairs again, slower than last time and taking each step more carefully. I'm about to follow him when I feel a set of eyes on me. I look around the attic again and I think I see what looks like another black mass. This time it's in the far corner. Hovering. I run down the stairs to catch up to him. I don't believe in ghosts. I don't.

* * *

AN: Thank you for reading. Feedback is muchly appreciated Once again thank you to my betas ALLoB and YPiS.

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	3. Chapter 3

AN: WARNING. Sexual situations in this chapter. Read at your own risk.

**CHAPTER 3**

I don't mention the black mass to Peeta again. Nor do I see or feel anything unusual once we are back up in the attic with more lighting. Unfortunately, we don't even get started looking through the boxes that are up the time the sun goes down, it's hard to see anything and all we have done is separate the furniture from the boxes. We call it a night soon after.

The next day we head back up hoping to find something useful for Peeta's work. This time I am prepared with more flashlights and lamps. We start with a few boxes each. After a few hours the search is coming up nowhere. The boxes I have been going through are just old documents of god knows what. There is nothing personal about Peeta's ancestor.

He isn't having any better luck than I am.

"Ugh!" he exclaims after searching through his second box.

I look up and try to give him a reassuring smile but all that seems to come out is a grimace.

"There's nothing in here at all about my family. It's just junk," he says kicking the box.

"I have an idea," I say hoping it'll get his mind off of this for a while. "We need a break. Follow me."

He nods, defeated and follows me downstairs. I lead him out the front door and to the barn where I have all my hunting gear.

"Katniss, where are we going?" he asks.

"You said you wanted to see me shoot right?" I say over my shoulder as he trails behind me.

"Yeah?"

"Well," I say opening the door to the barn and grabbing my gear. "Let's go."

A smile lights up his face as I lead him into the woods near the house.

* * *

"No, not like that. You're holding it wrong." I say, exasperated at how little Peeta can follow directions.

He sighs audibly, "What am I doing wrong now?"

He's standing in front of me, holding the bow away from him. "Your feet are all wrong. Space them out a little more. Good. Now bring the bow closer to your face. NO! Put your elbow down."

Peeta stops abruptly and hands the bow to me. "I'm sorry. I can't do it." He walks away towards a tree not too far away and leans against it.

"You're just going to give up?" I ask, not quite believing he's already quit after only half an hour. He turns away as I head towards him. He brings one hand to his face, as if trying to rub the tension away. As he faces me, I notice that he's not tense at all. He's laughing. I can't help but smile at the look on his face.

He walks back towards me. "I'm terrible, huh?"

I put my head down as he stands in front of me, suddenly feeling very shy at our close proximity. "Yeah, you kind of are," I reply with a smirk on my face. I almost take a step back, startled when I realize his face is right in front of mine. I have to look down again, but not before catching the knowing look on his face. His closeness makes me nervous. It's been far too long since I've been this close to a man. I can feel my cheeks redden as he laughs. The action makes me look up. "What?" I whisper.

His hand slowly reaches up. I stiffen, thinking he's going to touch my cheek. Instead, his hand goes to my hair. "You have a leaf in your hair."

"Oh," I breathe out, feeling disappointed. He plucks the leaf from my hair and lets it go, the wind carrying it away. Instead of moving away, he takes another step toward me. I can feel his breath on my face as he stares into my eyes and I'm paralyzed by the intensity of them. He tucks a strand of hair that's been flying in my face from the wind, behind my ear.

"You're so beautiful," he whispers. My heart pounds in my chest at his words. He licks his lips and my gaze follows the action. Our lips are so close that if I move a hair's breadth forward they would be touching. I sense him move and my eyes automatically close. I feel his breath against my lips and then-

An ear piercing scream fill the woods around us. The sound is so loud I have to bring my hands up to cover my ears.

Peeta steps away from me and covers his ears too looking around, trying to figure out where the noise is coming from. The sound is inhuman. I've never heard anything like this before. And it goes on for what seems like forever. My head pounds and what I hear next drops me to my knees. It's a sound I've only ever heard in my dreams. My nightmares about the crash that ended my family's life fill my ears. I can hear Prim scream. My Mom. My Dad. Flashes of burning flesh fill my head. I close my eyes, desperately trying to drown out the sound. And just as suddenly as the sound started, it stops.

I find myself on the ground. My chest heaves up and down as I try to catch my breath. I finally am able to let go of my head and that's when I notice Peeta. He's in a similar position as I am. Only he's curled up in a ball, his hands still covering his ears and his eyes are shut tightly.

"Peeta?" I crawl towards him. I feel so weak. _What the hell just happened?_ I reach him and place my hand on his arm. He startles and his eyes shoot open. He's breathing just as hard as I am.

"What the hell was that?" he cries, voicing my thoughts. "Did you hear that?"

I look around at the trees surrounding us. Nothing seems amiss. All I hear are the sounds of the forest. Birds chirping, the rustle of leaves from the breeze.

"I heard…" I gulp loudly, "I heard a piercing scream, then I started hearing other things… I can't explain it."

I shake my head to clear my thoughts of the images I saw. He's looking at me, almost in question.

"You mean you didn't hear the voices? I heard the piercing scream too, but… but afterward I just kept hearing my mo-" he stops himself short. His ears are bright pink, embarrassed about what he was about to say. "Nevermind."

I get up slowly. Still glancing around, making sure there's nothing out there. The screams could've been anything. They could be animals attacking each other for all I know. My mind is obviously playing tricks on me. There's no way I actually heard my parents and Prim. The noise must have triggered a nightmare. I may have been awake, but it was definitely a bad dream. There's no other explanation.

Peeta looks up at me as I survey the area. I reach my hand out to him to help him up and he takes hesitantly. "We should probably head back," I say. "Whatever that was may still be lurking around. I don't really want to be around if that thing comes back."

"You think that was animal?" he asks incredulously. I nod my head in affirmation and he shakes his head. "Katniss. That didn't sound like an animal to me. That didn't sound like anything I've ever heard of." He hesistated before he speaks again. "That sounded almost like… almost like an evil spirit."

My mouth drops open at the absurdity of his statement. "Evil spirit? It was just a couple of animals. I'm sure of it." He doesn't look convinced by the way he's looking around again. I shake my head again. "Let's get back. It's getting late and we haven't even had lunch yet."

I leave without waiting to see if he's following. What Peeta is suggesting is just plain ridiculous to me? There's no such thing as ghosts. And the suggestion has come up far too much in the little time that I've been on this property for my liking.

When we get back to the house Peeta seems distracted, but we don't mention what happened in the woods again. I make sandwiches and we eat in silence. Peeta doesn't offer any type of conversation like he normally does. In fact he seems kind of shaken. I'm feeling the same way, but I push the feeling aside. When he says he's tired and is going to spend the rest of his day in his room I don't question him. I call it a day as well.

* * *

A couple of days pass and Peeta still seems distracted, so I keep myself busy in the library. The next two weeks pass by quickly and to my delight, Peeta seems to forget the event from the woods. He doesn't ask for help but I volunteer my services anyway. I don't help him every day, I have other things to tend to myself, but I can tell he appreciates it nonetheless. We work in silence most of the time, but find ourselves in conversation quite often. Nothing out of the extraordinary happens, but every so often I see him looking around suspiciously with a frown on his face. When I question him, he gives me a smile but offers me no explanation. I can't help but think he's keeping something from me. That's silly, why would he keep it to himself. By the end of the week we've still been unsuccessful in finding anything.

After the almost kiss, there was a bit of awkwardness that we got over pretty quickly. I like him, I can't deny that. I catch myself looking at him far too much. The level of concentration on his face is somewhat hypnotic. Other times, I'll look up from searching through one of the boxes at him and I swear he's just been looking at me. Those are the times I can't seem to hide my blush. I smile inwardly at the thought that he might return some of the feelings I've developed for him.

Peeta gives it another couple of days before heading back into town to the hall of records to see if he's missed anything. He's usually there from the time it opens to the minute it closes. I'm there every day to have lunch with him. _You're not desperate,_ I tell myself. _You're just being a good hostess_, I think ignoring the fact that I was the one that offered him a place to stay.

It's been a month since Peeta arrived and in that time we've grown close. I find myself opening up to him like I never have before with anyone. I'm not usually a big talker but he just makes it so easy. I've never met anyone like him. Even though he still hasn't found anything, he's still so optimistic. Most people would have given up by now but not him. I can tell he's getting discouraged, yet he still manages to keep a smile on his face.

A few days later, Peeta comes home (in no way am I implying that home belongs to me and him. I'm just saying in general) very excited and announces he has a job. Apparently, he noticed a help wanted sign at the local paper and decided to go for it. He was hired on the spot. He suggests we go and celebrate. It's been a long time since I've been out and he looks so happy, I can't deny him.

I let Peeta decide where to celebrate. He chooses a small diner located near the highway. It was either that or the burger shack located in town. I'm not too picky, but I'm glad that it's not anything fancy. Still, I find a nice summer dress to wear. A present from Prim for me from my last birthday. It was the last birthday I ever got to celebrate with her. _Stop it, Katniss, _I chide myself as I get dressed. _This is a day of celebration. _ I quickly finish getting ready and head downstairs to where Peeta is waiting for me.

I'm nervous as I walk down the stairs. It's been so long since I've been on a date. Not that this would even be considered a date. I mean, I hope it's a date. But Peeta never used those exact words.

I find him sitting on the couch, his hands clasped together tightly.

"Ready?" I ask quietly. Peeta looks up at the sound of my voice. His blue eyes sparkle as he takes me in. The look on his face makes me blush slightly and I fight hard to hide it.

"Wow. You look great," he says with the same boyish smile he had the first time I saw him.

I can't hide my blush with the compliment so I mutter a thank you. "Shall we go?" I ask, trying to get the attention off of me.

He nods his head and directs me towards the door. "After you."

It only takes ten minutes to get to the diner and we are soon seated with a glasses of water and menus in our hands. Peeta takes the lead on the conversation and doesn't mind me listening for the most part. He's very excited about his new job. It's only part time, but it's enough that he would have to stay in these parts longer than he anticipated.

I don't mind at all actually. In fact I've gotten so used to him being here with me that I'm just as excited as he is that he'll be staying longer.

"I'll be house hunting soon. I'm not sure what exactly is around these parts, but I'm sure I can find something."

_House hunting? _I think. An idea comes into my mind, but I quickly shake my head to get rid of it.

He must notice that I want to say something. "What is it?"

I hesitate before I answer. "Well… I was just thinking." I stop, color filling my cheeks and look away embarrassed.

He reaches out and grabs my hand. I freeze at the contact, but Peeta acts like it's the most natural thing in the world.

"Well, I-."

"Okay, kids what'll it be?"

I pull my hand away, as if we were caught doing something naughty. Red tints my cheeks as I grab my menu and hide behind it. I haven't even taken a look at it this whole time. I look over my menu to look at Peeta. He has a knowing smile and gives me a wink as he gives the waitress his order.

She turns to take my order and I quickly order the first thing I see on the menu. Once she's gone and I no longer have a menu to hide behind, I fidget in my seat. I've lost my train of thought, but Peeta seems to be right on track.

"What were you going to say?"

I shake my head again, trying to remember what we were discussing. "What were we talking about again?"

Peeta's laugh brings a rare smile to my face. "I was saying how I'm going to have to find a place to live now that I'm working down here."

_Oh. _"Oh, right."

He gives me a questioning look as if to say continue. "Well, I was just thinking. Maybe you can stay with me still." His smile is wider than I've ever seen and I continue before I chicken out. "I mean, you've already been staying with me for almost a month. You seem to be settled in just fine. No need to worry about finding a new place. God knows I have enough room as it is just for myself…." I trail off.

My gaze is on the table and I refuse to look up. _God this is embarrassing, _I think.

"Katniss, are you asking me to move in with you? This is barely our first date. Don't you think we're moving a little too fast?" His questions are said in jest, but the **date **part makes me look up.

"This is a date?"

I smile as red stains his cheeks, for once it's not me. He chuckles a little as he looks down examining his place setting. "I thought that was obvious when I asked you to celebrate with me," he says meeting my eyes across the table.

I can't help but smile even wider at the boyish look on his face. "Alright then. A date it is."

"Well now that we have established this as our first date, we should really talk about this moving in together business."

A sigh escapes my lips at my earlier suggestion. "Well, it only makes perfect sense don't you think? At least for a while. You can get your own place later if you want. No need to rush and leave," I say quickly.

Peeta seems to contemplate this for a few minutes then nods his head. "It does make sense. Ok, Miss Everdeen. I will take you up on that offer. But I insist on paying my dues. Now don't think about cutting anything on my expense."

I wave off his comments. "I wouldn't dream of it," I say as our waitress arrives with our salads. Conversation slows down as we start our meal, only the occasional comment being said. Peeta is the perfect gentleman throughout the night. I couldn't have asked for a better first date.

I try to decline dessert, but Peeta insists so we share a banana split. I'm taking my first bite when he starts asking me questions.

"So… have you noticed anything weird happening in the house?" he asks.

"What do you mean?" I ask as I take another bite of ice cream.

He shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly. "I don't know. I just get a strange feeling sometimes."

After the incident in the woods, I was hoping we could move past any more of this talk. "Nope." I say, hoping to put the conversation to rest. My mood is beginning to turn sour.

"You mean, you've never felt anything or even seen anything out of the miss?" He continues.

This isn't something I want to be talking about. I know what he's doing. He's insinuating something that's not possible. "It's an old house, Peeta. Of course there's going to be weird noises."

He shakes his head, seemingly frustrated. "I'm not talking about just weird noises, Katniss. I'm talking about the feeling of someone's eyes on you or having… strange dreams."

I try to laugh it off. "Aren't you a little too old to be believing in ghost stories?"

He chuckles a little, but there's no humor behind it. "Nevermind."

We finish our dessert in silence. I feel bad for the change in my mood. "I'm sorry, Peeta. How about me head home now, roomie?" I says, trying to lighten the mood.

He laughs again, but this time he gives me one of his winning smiles. "Okay. Let me just take care of the bill."

"Oh no, Peeta," I say, reaching for the check trying to stop him. "This is a celebration for you. Let me get this."

He pulls the check out of my reach, "Now what kind of date would I be if I made you pay?"

I put my hands up in surrender, trying to make up for our awkward conversation just a few minutes ago. I make my way out of the diner as Peeta takes care of the bill. I step outside into the warm night and head to the car. I'm beginning to learn that this place I chose to start over in is very different from the place I come from. Warm nights are something I'm going to have to get used to.

As I reach Peeta's car I lean against the passenger side door while I wait. I look back towards the diner and see Peeta waiting patiently to pay. The waitress seems to be deep in conversation with a regular. He looks up and notices me watching him and sends me a wave along with a goofy grin. I can't help the chuckle that leaves my mouth.

A sudden gust of wind surrounds me and I shiver from the surprising chill that goes down my spine. _That's strange,_ I muse. The nights have been warm and there should be no reason for any type of cold wind to rush past me. I glance toward the trees around me. They're full of summer leaves, but they stand dead still.

I can't help but think it was some kind of warning. Like maybe something is coming. _Don't be stupid, Katniss._ I'm lost in thought when Peeta shows up out of nowhere.

"You ready to go?" I jump when I hear his voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I should've given you the keys so you wouldn't have been stuck standing out here. I didn't realize it was going to take so long."

I wave him off as he unlocks and opens my door. "It's fine, really. I usually not so jumpy, and with your loud footsteps I should've been able to hear you a mile away."

He chuckles as he closes my door and heads over to the driver side. Once he's settled and his belt buckled, he starts the car and we head home. The drive home is silent, but surprisingly not awkward. It's comfortable and I realize that it's not scaring me as much as it would have in the past. Peeta is one of the most genuinely nice people I have ever met. We've known each other for a month now and he has been nothing but respectful towards me. I smile as I hope maybe he's a little less respectful towards me once we get back home.

"What are you smiling about?" Peeta asks, breaking the silence.

I didn't realize he was watching me. I look away to try and hide another smile. Nothing," I say as I gaze out the window.

I chance a look back at him and see a smirk play on his lips as if he knows exactly what I was thinking. "Sure," he says playfully.

We head down the driveway and my heart starts to beat faster in anticipation of what might come. He puts the car in park and turns the ignition off. Neither of us make a move to leave the car. It's almost like we are both trying to see who will make the first move. Finally, I unbuckle my seatbelt and reach to open the door.

"Wait!" I pause, my hand in mid-air. "I'll get the door for you."

He opens the door for me and I smile up at him as I step out. "I know how to open doors you know."

He smiles sheepishly as we walk up to the porch. Instead of walking straight to door, Peeta steps towards the railing of the porch. He places both hands on the rail and looks up at toward the sky. I follow his lead and look up to a sky full of stars.

"Wow," I breathe out. Back in the city it's almost impossible to see any stars, but here – they light up the sky. "So beautiful."

"Gorgeous more like it."

Turning my head, I'm taken aback when I find him staring right at me. I don't even try to hide the reddening of my cheeks. He takes a step closer as I turn to meet him. His lips quirk up as he brings his arms to wrap around me and I step into them easily. I want this. Why fight the inevitable?

I take a deep breath and smile before placing my hands on his shoulders to steady myself. Before I can second guess what is happening, I take matters into my own hands as I shut my eyes and crush my lips to his. Peeta's breathe hitches in surprise, but his surprise doesn't last long. His hand finds the back of my neck and pulls me closer. His lips are softer than I could have ever imagined. Our lips slant against one another softly. It's the nicest kiss I've ever had. But I don't want nice. I hesitate for only a second before my tongue traces his bottom lip and he opens his mouth in invitation.

A groan escapes my lips before I can help it and I can feel him smile as our tongues seek one another out. My hands find their way into his hair and it's his turn to groan. He tastes like the ice cream we shared and I can't help but want this kiss to last forever. After what seems like hours we finally pull apart.

We rest our foreheads against one another and try to control our breathing. My eyes are still shut tight when he speaks.

"I've wanted to do that since the moment we met."

I open my eyes to see the brightest smile I've ever seen on him. The happiness I'm feeling at the moment overwhelms me and I find it hard to speak. "I – uh – I've felt the same way," I breathe out, a smile matching his own on my face.

His arms are still wrapped around me, and I love the feelings that are stirring inside me. His thumb caresses my cheek and I lean my head into his hand. "I had a really great time tonight, Katniss."

"I did too, Peeta."

He pulls me with him towards the door. "Come on. I'll walk you to your room."

My face falls in disappointment. I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe I was hoping we could continue where we left off, but I should've guessed Peeta isn't the type to sleep with someone on the first date, even if I am.

We head inside and the first thing I notice is that it's very cold. I can tell Peeta feels the same way because he pulls me closer. We walk up the steps together and when we reach the landing, the temperature is noticeably warmer. We reach my room and I turn to Peeta to thank him, but I am met with his lips once more against mine. The kiss chaste but lingers for a few seconds until Peeta finally pulls away.

"Sorry," he offers sheepishly. "I had to do that one more time."

"Don't apologize. I liked it," I admit with a smile.

He returns the smile. "Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow," he says as he walks backward down the hall towards his room.

"See you tomorrow," I answer as I enter my room and shut the door.

* * *

I wake with a start and the first thing I notice is Peeta standing at the door of my room, looking at me. I shiver, but not from the unusually cold atmosphere of the room. I glance at the clock on my bedside table. It reads 3:00am.

"Jesus Christ, you scared me! Is everything okay?" I ask him as he continues to stare at me. His gaze drops to my barely covered body, clad only in panties and a small camisole. I'm freezing. The sheet I fell asleep with has fallen below my waist and I reach to pull it up. "Pe-"

"Don't," he says suddenly and my hands freeze at the force of his voice. Our eyes meet. His eyes rake over me as he glides towards the end of my bed. He reaches his hand down to grab the sheet covering my legs and feet, pulling it towards him as his gaze lands on my barely covered breast. "Don't cover yourself up," he whispers, never taking his eyes off me.

His hands trace the insides of my calves, slowly moving up my legs. When they reach the backs of my knees, I'm roughly pulled towards him. Long gone is the sweet, respectful Peeta from earlier. He's been replaced by this new version, commanding and incredibly sexy. My eyes roll back as he unexpectedly reaches between by legs, rubbing my center over my drenched panties.

"So wet," he growls before pulling my panties to the side and plunging two fingers inside me roughly. I break my silence and moan as he fucks me with his fingers.

He continues to stroke me as my moans get louder and my eyes lift to his, the intensity still there. A whimper escapes my lips as he stops his ministrations, bringing his fingers to his mouth; licking and sucking them clean.

"Exquisite," he moans. All I can do is stare with wide eyes as he pulls my ruined underwear down my legs and removes them from my body. He tosses them carelessly to the side before dropping his head between my legs; his mouth finding my clit. My hips buck up into his face, wanting more.

My breathing is erratic. _Who is this man?_ In the back of my mind, I feel like this has happened before. Not the act itself, for I've never had a man do this to me and it doesn't cross my mind that I'm letting him do this to me without question. But, it's like I've felt it before. It's the exact emotion I had in my dream of Peter. The one I'd been so embarrassed about.

Peeta continues his attack on my clit and my body can't take it anymore. I explode and call out. "PEETA!"

My body is shaking from the force of my orgasm and my breath is coming out in short spurts. My mind is hazy as I try to focus on what just happened. A noticeable shift permeates the air around us and it feels almost alarming. I feel Peeta move above me.

"Open your eyes."

The intensity in his gaze never wavers, and he slowly travels up my body, bringing my camisole up with him. He pulls it off and it joins my underwear on the floor. He settles between my thighs when he reaches my breast and my legs open up for him in invitation. Peeta nuzzles the peak with his nose before covering it with his mouth. My hands tangle in his hair and the throbbing between my thighs is almost painful, the aftershock of my orgasm still wracking my body.

He switches to the other nipple and brings his had up to cover the one he just left, flicking the tiny bud and causing me to keen in pleasure. No matter how hard I try to keep quiet, my moans fill the air. My hips buck up, trying to find the friction to quench this need. He stops suddenly and pulls himself away. I'm about to protest when he reaches down to the hem of his t-shirt and pulls it over his head. My eyes automatically land on the small trail of golden hair leading to the obvious bulge in his boxers.

He smirks down at me when my eyes widen. He's… big. The boxers covering his lower half do nothing to hide his size. My hands itch to reach down and stroke him, but I feel like I need permission. "You want it… don't you, Kat?"

I nod my head in affirmation, reaching my hand toward him when he moves to stand. He tsks teasingly.

"Patience is a virtue, my dear."

His boxers hit the floor and my mouth instantly waters. I want his dick in my mouth or in my pussy right now. A blush breaks across my face at how wanton my thoughts are at the moment. I have never wanted something or someone so bad in my life. He strokes himself slowly up and down and I am mesmerized by the action.

I'm so caught up in my thoughts that I barely register when he has once again settled himself between my legs. My eyes find his and I'm transfixed by them. I'm not sure how long I've been hypnotized but he suddenly plunges into me. He groans and the sound is glorious.

My legs wrap around his back, pulling him closer as he starts thrusting in and out with abandon. I meet him thrust for thrust. My senses are in overload as he continues to pound into me. The sound of our lovemaking echoes through the room and I can already feel the coil in my belly start to snap when he pulls out. I whimper in protest and then he's pulling me up.

He swiftly moves into a sitting position and brings me to hover over him.

"Mount me," he orders. My cheeks flame at being told what to do, but my pussy aches knowing he will be inside me once again. I lower myself onto him, slowly. Trying to savor the feel of his thick cock filling me. I can feel all of him in this position. My movement begin slowly as Peeta runs his hands up and down my torso, caressing my breasts with every pass. "Faster," he demands.

I never pegged Peeta to be so dominating in the bedroom, but his commands spur me on even more. I speed up, and the familiar coil returns as my clit rubs his cock in just the right spot. Peeta suddenly leans back against one arm while the other reaches around me to rest against the small of my back. The movement cause the length of his cock to slide deeper inside me. My back arches so far back that I think I may break in half. Our hips roll rhythmically against one another and I know I won't be able to hold on much longer.

"Oh, God!" I cry out as shudders wrack my body. A few more thrusts from Peeta and he comes with an animalistic cry. His arms pull me toward him in an embrace where we stay for what feels like hours trying to catch our breath. I'm exhausted as he finally lays me down against my pillow. I fight hard to keep my eyes open, but the exhaustions seems to win as I feel him sit next to me. The last thing I remember is him caressing my face and speaking what sounds like, 'Sleep, my love.' But that could have just been my imagination.

* * *

I awake in the morning, groggy and confused. I feel like something is off. The previous night's events rush to the front of my mind and jolts me wide awake. Instinctively, my hand reaches to the other side of the bed where my hand grabs nothing but sheet. Peeta didn't stay. He must have returned to his room after. Or maybe I imagined it altogether. But the delicious ache between my legs says otherwise.

The sun is shining brightly into my room. I usually wake up before the sun even rises and when I look at my clock, it reads 10:24. _Maybe he woke up before me and is already awake and waiting for me, _I ponder.

Nerves wrack my body as I get ready to head downstairs to search for Peeta. Thoughts fill my head at the realization of how wanton I acted last night. I'm embarrassed, to say the least, and hopeful there is no awkwardness between Peeta and myself when we see each other. Something doesn't feel right. Why did Peeta come to me? It just feels a little out of character for Peeta to do this and me for that matter. I couldn't help myself though. It was almost like my mind didn't have control, but my body did. I shake these thoughts from my head. I'm only stalling.

When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I expect to hear movement but all I hear is silence. I look through every room downstairs and find no one. _Maybe he's in the attic_, I think. But when I look, it's empty too.

I don't want to look outside to see if is car is here, so I knock on the door of his room. No answer. I open it and it's empty. I move to close the door and notice that the closet door is open and his luggage is gone.

Peeta's gone._._

He doesn't return the rest of the day. Or the next.

* * *

AN: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed and favorited this story. Wow. I'm still in awe at all the feedback I'm getting. Sorry this chapter is so late coming. Real life happens and unfortunately from now on, I don't know when the next update will be. I will do my best to not make you guys wait too long. Thank you for reading and again, feedback is always appreciated.

Also, thank you always to Wollaston for the continued awesome beta work and awesome banner. And to everyone who encouraged and pre-read for me, you're awesome.

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